For those of you who have followed my recipe on how to make plum wine (umeshu) last year, congratulations. Your patience is finally paying off and the plum wine is now ready to drink! The liqueur takes a year to mature, and with the weather continues to warm up, we’ve come to a full circle to enjoy our ‘fruit of labor’ from last year. Just before you open the jar, you may wonder what to do with the plums in the plum wine. In today’s post, I’ll show you how to make my favorite Plum Jam (梅ジャム) using those used plums!
Can You Eat The Plums from the Plum Wine?
Yes, you can totally eat the ume plums from the wine! Serve them with your plum wine so you can nibble them while you drink. The plums are pretty in the drink, too (depending on your plum color), but if you’re looking into other ways to utilize those used plums, here are some ideas on how to consume them.
Make jams for your breakfast toasts, yogurt, gelatin dessert (continue reading!)Bake a cake with plums (just like other fruit cakes)Make cocktails with crushed plumsUse in savory dishes
Your plums did a tremendous job making your delicious plum wine for a year. Now that their job is done, it doesn’t mean it’s time to toss them away. This amazing stone fruit is the fruit that never stops giving. So let’s make yummy plum jams that you can enjoy on your toast or in yogurt for your breakfast!
Make Delicious Plum Jam with Plums (from Plum Wine)
Jam making sounds tedious and time-consuming, and it’s kind of true. To use up all the fresh yuzu I had, I made yuzu jam and that took a lot of effort and time. So for my plums, I do it differently. The most time-consuming part of making plum jam is to remove the seeds from the plums. Unfortunately, there is no “plum pitter” like one for cherries and you have to cut off the flesh from the seed with a knife. Therefore, I only take out some plums just enough to make jams for one to two small mason jars. That way, my family can enjoy the delicious jams for a few weeks while the rest of plums continue to work in the winemaking. Unlike fresh fruits, these plums in the plum wine don’t really “go bad”. Thanks to the higher % alcohol in the wine and there is no need to use them up in a hurry. It’s a win-win! There’s really no better way than to repurpose the plums into a deliciously sweet-tart jam after a year of waiting. With the new season upon us once again, I hope you have fun making plum wine and plum jam every year! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
